I ALWAYS buy the deluxe beverage package. Honestly I won't book a room with anyone that doesn't want it and just get my own cabin, it is a must have for me.
Thank you for this breakdown! This whole debate about whether it's worth it or not is so annoying 🙄 just do what works for YOU! I'm a HEAVY drinker and I can get through 5 cocktails before breakfast 😅 so it's totally worth it! 💚
I always get the drink packages. I don’t want to worry about it and it is already paid for. I also like the fresh squeezed juice plus I try to drink a lot of water.
Hey Brandon, We never buy the drink package, but always buy a coffee card that is sharable with my wife for our specialty coffees in the mornings. We do not drink juice and soda. If we are in a Suite we grab our drinks at the suite lounge or Coastal Kitchen. You can even get bottled water there. If we are not in a Suite we just buy our one or two drinks a day as we are not big drinkers. Once we hit Diamond it will cover all our coffees and drinks. Thanks for another great video.
Not a drinker, so I get the Refreshment package. If you get it low at like $23 pp/pd, I think it's a good deal. If you get a smoothie, a coffee, a couple sodas, and a mocktail, you've basically already broke even. I feel that's pretty easily attainable and you can mix it up and have a couple smoothies one day or really binge with coffee another day without the cloud of having to maybe drink alcohol every day even if you don't feel like it to break even with the Deluxe Package.
Everyone thinks the drink package is only alcohol. It includes fresh squeezed OJ ( hubs fav), specialty coffee (my cappuccino after dinner) all the soda from the coke dispenser which includes a very nice cup. Then bottled water. And many don’t know you can get a smoothie at the Spa which is included. All the non alcohol items add up quickly. One drink in the afternoon, 2 glasses of wine with dinner, and a drink during a show, then a nightcap. If this is done for each day, it’s worth it. You need to do the math. We gave it up once we got to Diamond status, since we get 4 drinks per day and we can get specialty coffees in the diamond lounge. If we want more, we just pay for it. It’s NOT all alcohol.
@@CJODell12 you don’t have to purchase any of the drink packages. There’s lots included with the price of the cruise: coffee, tea, lemonade, punch, and water by the glass and OJ during breakfast service. If you’re a big soda drinker, you might want to consider a soda package and you’ll get a cup and can fill up at any of the coke machines. If you’d like any specialty coffees or non alcoholic drinks you can just pay for them. The larger ships have a Starbucks (kiosk or a walk in shop)…you can use the cash on your Starbucks card, but you can’t pay with your points, however you still collect the points. If you’re booked for a cruise, look at all the drink packages and decide if you want or need any of them or not. And always do the math to figure if it’s a good value or not. Don’t forget that if you purchase a package it’s usually a per day price and there will be 18% gratuities added. You can bring water with you, but you have to carry it on board as it can’t go with you checked bags. You can order bottled water pre cruise by a box or case and will be delivered to your room. Or many people bring a reusable bottles and fill it with the cups of water. So many options
@@CJODell12 There's a Refreshment package which includes everything except alcohol, even mocktails. And as Joyce said, you could not get a package and enjoy the free stuff and just pay al a carte for anything extra you want to drink.
i usually get the refreshment package because i drink a lot of fancy coffee, bottled water, and diet soda to make it worthwhile for me. then I buy my alcoholic drinks because i only have 1 or 2 a day. thankfully after my cruise in February I will be diamond and will just bring water and soda on with me since I can drive to the port and use my diamond drinks for my coffee and alcohol
I think your math is off because you are not taking into account the non-alcoholic beverages that are also part of this package. If you deduct the cost of the Refreshment Package (currently $27.99 per guest per day) from the Deluxe Beverage Package (currently $72.99 per guest per day), the difference for the alcoholic beverages is actually $45 per guest per day. That’s about 3-4 drinks per day at the higher end of the cost. Makes it worth it.
Hey Grace, admittingly, there are many ways to skin the cat on this one. Problem with that version of math, is I now I need to make a 2nd video to say if the classic package is worth it and then build into the deluxe package. If you will drink coffee and bottled water, it will definitly make a difference but a lot of folks consider the deluxe package the "alcohol package" and want to get their money with booze. This also might be the weekend cruiser mentality rubbing off on me 😂
Totally worth it. I think every grown up man have at least 8 beers or drinks by the pool during the day, maybe 2 or 3 glasses of wine during diner and a couple more drinks before going to bed. Not mentioning coffees and bottled water.
Hey...yeah they just went up to 14.00/drink for most drinks which is crazy!!! So I am Prime in casino and Diamond soon, so will not neet the drink package again! I recently was told by a bartender on Allure that as a casino Prime member I can order 3 drinks at once while in the casino so I can give to a friend....I never knew this and yes, it worked on my last sailing while in the casino....very interesting.
Take a look at the type of cruise you have. A port intensive cruise or more sea days. I don't drink alcohol but enjoyed the Refreshment package on my Transatlantic. I like lime and soda water and the fresh OJ. Made no sense on my Mediterranean trip since I was off the ship every day.
Hey Brandon! Great info, as always. I’m maybe 2 sailings from hitting Diamond, so I actually have a question about the Diamond and above drink vouchers. Is it 4/5/6 drinks DAILY, or is it per sailing? I average about 8 alcohol drinks a day, so if I got 6 loaded daily as a loyalty perk, getting the deluxe beverage package would probably be overkill, but if it’s 6 total, I’d still be inclined to spring for the package.
@@TravelingWithTravis It really is! They used to have a happy hour from 5 - 8pm with a limited drink menu. This works 100x better!. Any drink up to $14.
So it's a misnomer that all expenses are included in the trip cost.. at $15ish a drink, I'd be trashed the whole trip to make a package worth it. 15 years ago I could get two drinks before last call then two more at last call.. besides what I drank already.. no wonder the bars closed up since I moved lol now my interest is maybe 2 drinks every 3-6 months and it's time to go
It's true. Have to ask what is included in every cruise as they are all a bit different. Normally, only a bit higher end. Cruise lines are truly all-inclusive.
Just got off of Harmony of the Sea, did a family reunion we all had a great time. All of us bought the drink package. I believe most of us got our money worth. The problem I have is accessibility. On a ship that holds 6500 people there are only 4 soda stations, there was only one specialty coffee place. All of the bars on the ship had ONE blender for 2 or 3 bartenders! Most people where ordering blended drinks! This led to lines at the bars. It almost felt Royal Caribbean was trying to limit how much you drink. To get a soda or a special coffee the closest soda station was 7 decks down from the solarium and midship. Kinda frustrating.
I don’t think the drink package is worth it on weekend cruises. I’ve bought 4 Royal Carribean weekend cruises leaving out of Port Canaveral between Nov 22 - April 23 and the drink package is $105 per person/$124 after gratuity for the Independence/Mariner of the seas boats and at $92 per person on the Wonder of the Seas weekend cruise, which was 3x the base fare for the weekend compared to the other ships. I think they’re worth it on the longer cruises when they lower the price to the $50-$60 a day point.
When I decide if I am going to get the drink package I look at the price difference between the refreshment package (which I know I make good use of) and the deluxe package. Then I see if I think I will drink that much to make it worth the price. Most cruises for me no because I don't drink as much when I cruise with my mom or kids. When I cruise with my best friend or husband I tend to drink more.
I did the maths for the beverage package on my next cruise - 1300 for the top level and 350 for the general one. I know it isn’t going to pay for me plus I have $400 obc so I’ll just use that. I don’t drink much and they’ve turned to Pepsi products instead of coke so even soft drinks won’t work.
@@TheWeekendCruiser it came to a very close 30% of the cruise. Sadly cruises here in Australia cost quite a bit but the prices for drink packages are beyond ridic.
I’m going on my first RC cruise leaving out of NY. But these additional fees, gratuities and packages are making me think is it even worth going on a cruise. As I could pay the same amount for an all inclusive resort vacation.😒
It is the truth Genise! Though, most all inclusive I have seen are still normally fairly expensive. But with the wifi and a drink package, you can easily pay more than the total of the cruise.
These days they give you a lot of hopes to jump through. If one person buys the drink package, everyone of age in that room must ALSO buy the drink package. Should the other person not drink, you will have to call in, explain this, and they will still insist the other person buy the refreshment package.
If your wife doesn't drink any alcohol at all, you can call the service department and they can downgrade her to the refreshment package. She would at least need to get that one if you get the Deluxe.
Did you know, that you can call RC and tell them you don’t drink alcohol? You will just need to purchase the non alcohol drink package. You still have to pay, but it’s a lot less.
Most people forget bottled water, soda and premium coffees that are included in the package to get your money’s worth.
They do! Especially in the weekend, it is a true drink package. That concept of non alcoholic is sometimes lost.
I ALWAYS buy the deluxe beverage package. Honestly I won't book a room with anyone that doesn't want it and just get my own cabin, it is a must have for me.
That the spirit!!! (see what I did there?) lol
Thank you for this breakdown! This whole debate about whether it's worth it or not is so annoying 🙄 just do what works for YOU! I'm a HEAVY drinker and I can get through 5 cocktails before breakfast 😅 so it's totally worth it! 💚
Haha love it! Have to be true to yourself!
I always get the drink packages. I don’t want to worry about it and it is already paid for. I also like the fresh squeezed juice plus I try to drink a lot of water.
Hey Brandon, We never buy the drink package, but always buy a coffee card that is sharable with my wife for our specialty coffees in the mornings. We do not drink juice and soda. If we are in a Suite we grab our drinks at the suite lounge or Coastal Kitchen. You can even get bottled water there. If we are not in a Suite we just buy our one or two drinks a day as we are not big drinkers. Once we hit Diamond it will cover all our coffees and drinks. Thanks for another great video.
Not a drinker, so I get the Refreshment package. If you get it low at like $23 pp/pd, I think it's a good deal. If you get a smoothie, a coffee, a couple sodas, and a mocktail, you've basically already broke even. I feel that's pretty easily attainable and you can mix it up and have a couple smoothies one day or really binge with coffee another day without the cloud of having to maybe drink alcohol every day even if you don't feel like it to break even with the Deluxe Package.
Everyone thinks the drink package is only alcohol. It includes fresh squeezed OJ ( hubs fav), specialty coffee (my cappuccino after dinner) all the soda from the coke dispenser which includes a very nice cup. Then bottled water. And many don’t know you can get a smoothie at the Spa which is included. All the non alcohol items add up quickly. One drink in the afternoon, 2 glasses of wine with dinner, and a drink during a show, then a nightcap. If this is done for each day, it’s worth it. You need to do the math. We gave it up once we got to Diamond status, since we get 4 drinks per day and we can get specialty coffees in the diamond lounge. If we want more, we just pay for it. It’s NOT all alcohol.
But what if you don’t drink alcohol at all?
@@CJODell12 you don’t have to purchase any of the drink packages. There’s lots included with the price of the cruise: coffee, tea, lemonade, punch, and water by the glass and OJ during breakfast service. If you’re a big soda drinker, you might want to consider a soda package and you’ll get a cup and can fill up at any of the coke machines.
If you’d like any specialty coffees or non alcoholic drinks you can just pay for them. The larger ships have a Starbucks (kiosk or a walk in shop)…you can use the cash on your Starbucks card, but you can’t pay with your points, however you still collect the points.
If you’re booked for a cruise, look at all the drink packages and decide if you want or need any of them or not. And always do the math to figure if it’s a good value or not. Don’t forget that if you purchase a package it’s usually a per day price and there will be 18% gratuities added.
You can bring water with you, but you have to carry it on board as it can’t go with you checked bags.
You can order bottled water pre cruise by a box or case and will be delivered to your room.
Or many people bring a reusable bottles and fill it with the cups of water.
So many options
I didn't know about the smoothies. That pretty awesome.
@@CJODell12 There's a Refreshment package which includes everything except alcohol, even mocktails. And as Joyce said, you could not get a package and enjoy the free stuff and just pay al a carte for anything extra you want to drink.
i usually get the refreshment package because i drink a lot of fancy coffee, bottled water, and diet soda to make it worthwhile for me. then I buy my alcoholic drinks because i only have 1 or 2 a day. thankfully after my cruise in February I will be diamond and will just bring water and soda on with me since I can drive to the port and use my diamond drinks for my coffee and alcohol
I think your math is off because you are not taking into account the non-alcoholic beverages that are also part of this package. If you deduct the cost of the Refreshment Package (currently $27.99 per guest per day) from the Deluxe Beverage Package (currently $72.99 per guest per day), the difference for the alcoholic beverages is actually $45 per guest per day. That’s about 3-4 drinks per day at the higher end of the cost. Makes it worth it.
Hey Grace, admittingly, there are many ways to skin the cat on this one. Problem with that version of math, is I now I need to make a 2nd video to say if the classic package is worth it and then build into the deluxe package. If you will drink coffee and bottled water, it will definitly make a difference but a lot of folks consider the deluxe package the "alcohol package" and want to get their money with booze. This also might be the weekend cruiser mentality rubbing off on me 😂
Your video is SO helpful! Thank you for breaking down the details. I’m so glad I found your channel
My pleasure and I am glad you found us to!!
Totally worth it. I think every grown up man have at least 8 beers or drinks by the pool during the day, maybe 2 or 3 glasses of wine during diner and a couple more drinks before going to bed. Not mentioning coffees and bottled water.
haha, I think you would fit in well on a Weekend Cruise Aldo!
I don’t drink enough just for alcohol but fresh juice coffee and every thing else plus alcohol makes it worth not to worry
If I drank enough alcoholic beverages in a day to make that worth it, I'd be dead!
Hey...yeah they just went up to 14.00/drink for most drinks which is crazy!!! So I am Prime in casino and Diamond soon, so will not neet the drink package again! I recently was told by a bartender on Allure that as a casino Prime member I can order 3 drinks at once while in the casino so I can give to a friend....I never knew this and yes, it worked on my last sailing while in the casino....very interesting.
You sure can! Those are the voucher drinks. Not sure you can do that with casino drinks
Very insightful 👍
Take a look at the type of cruise you have. A port intensive cruise or more sea days. I don't drink alcohol but enjoyed the Refreshment package on my Transatlantic. I like lime and soda water and the fresh OJ. Made no sense on my Mediterranean trip since I was off the ship every day.
Good call out! Port schedule makes a difference!
Hey Brandon, could you make a video about the dining packages?
Sure! I have added this to the list!
Hey Brandon! Great info, as always. I’m maybe 2 sailings from hitting Diamond, so I actually have a question about the Diamond and above drink vouchers. Is it 4/5/6 drinks DAILY, or is it per sailing? I average about 8 alcohol drinks a day, so if I got 6 loaded daily as a loyalty perk, getting the deluxe beverage package would probably be overkill, but if it’s 6 total, I’d still be inclined to spring for the package.
Hey Travis! The 4/5/6 is based on your tier. Diamond gets 4, D+ gets 5, and Pinnacles get 6 drinks everyday!
Awesome. That’s a very great perk!
@@TravelingWithTravis It really is! They used to have a happy hour from 5 - 8pm with a limited drink menu. This works 100x better!. Any drink up to $14.
So it's a misnomer that all expenses are included in the trip cost.. at $15ish a drink, I'd be trashed the whole trip to make a package worth it. 15 years ago I could get two drinks before last call then two more at last call.. besides what I drank already.. no wonder the bars closed up since I moved lol now my interest is maybe 2 drinks every 3-6 months and it's time to go
It's true. Have to ask what is included in every cruise as they are all a bit different. Normally, only a bit higher end. Cruise lines are truly all-inclusive.
Just got off of Harmony of the Sea, did a family reunion we all had a great time. All of us bought the drink package. I believe most of us got our money worth. The problem I have is accessibility. On a ship that holds 6500 people there are only 4 soda stations, there was only one specialty coffee place. All of the bars on the ship had ONE blender for 2 or 3 bartenders! Most people where ordering blended drinks! This led to lines at the bars. It almost felt Royal Caribbean was trying to limit how much you drink. To get a soda or a special coffee the closest soda station was 7 decks down from the solarium and midship. Kinda frustrating.
I can def see that as frustrating! I've also noticed they don't have as many drink servers either walking around. Could be a way to pour less?
I don’t think the drink package is worth it on weekend cruises. I’ve bought 4 Royal Carribean weekend cruises leaving out of Port Canaveral between Nov 22 - April 23 and the drink package is $105 per person/$124 after gratuity for the Independence/Mariner of the seas boats and at $92 per person on the Wonder of the Seas weekend cruise, which was 3x the base fare for the weekend compared to the other ships.
I think they’re worth it on the
longer cruises when they lower the price to the $50-$60 a day point.
That very well could be. The daily commitment to trying and drink that much was never fun to me. But I wanted to ensure I got my money's worth!
When I decide if I am going to get the drink package I look at the price difference between the refreshment package (which I know I make good use of) and the deluxe package. Then I see if I think I will drink that much to make it worth the price. Most cruises for me no because I don't drink as much when I cruise with my mom or kids. When I cruise with my best friend or husband I tend to drink more.
Haha we all have that one or two friends that bring out the fun in us!
Are the souvenir cups included in the deluxe package? Some websites and videos say they are and then some say they aren't.
They sure are! They should be delivered to your cabin but if not, you can request one.
I did the maths for the beverage package on my next cruise - 1300 for the top level and 350 for the general one. I know it isn’t going to pay for me plus I have $400 obc so I’ll just use that. I don’t drink much and they’ve turned to Pepsi products instead of coke so even soft drinks won’t work.
It is so funny to me the number of times the drink package cost more than the cruise!
@@TheWeekendCruiser it came to a very close 30% of the cruise. Sadly cruises here in Australia cost quite a bit but the prices for drink packages are beyond ridic.
I’m going on my first RC cruise leaving out of NY. But these additional fees, gratuities and packages are making me think is it even worth going on a cruise. As I could pay the same amount for an all inclusive resort vacation.😒
It is the truth Genise! Though, most all inclusive I have seen are still normally fairly expensive. But with the wifi and a drink package, you can easily pay more than the total of the cruise.
I thought if you got Starbucks coffee from their stand-alone Starbucks, it's not included in any of the drink packages though.
I don't, I go to Cafe Promenade. I hear some days it is I could and some it isn't lol. The Cafe Prom is fine by me.
40 percent off wines under 100.00 I read
Hypothetically, how easy or difficult would it be to share a drink package? Assuming the second person isn't a big drinker?
These days they give you a lot of hopes to jump through. If one person buys the drink package, everyone of age in that room must ALSO buy the drink package. Should the other person not drink, you will have to call in, explain this, and they will still insist the other person buy the refreshment package.
@@TheWeekendCruiser thank you for taking the time to reply.
That is unfortunate but still good to know, thanks
They added gratuity into ours for 2 people it was 622.00 omg
They sure will! Literally, it can be more than the cruise lol
Lots to compare
Every 15 minutes? Hasn’t been enforced with me.
That sounds about right lol It is the policy but as long as you are not being stupid or you go to a different bartender, you should be good.
Having to pay double price for my wife that doesn’t drink makes it not even close to being worth it
If your wife doesn't drink any alcohol at all, you can call the service department and they can downgrade her to the refreshment package. She would at least need to get that one if you get the Deluxe.
I hate that I don’t drink but forced to pay for it because my spouse does.
Did you know, that you can call RC and tell them you don’t drink alcohol? You will just need to purchase the non alcohol drink package. You still have to pay, but it’s a lot less.
Or your spouse could just buy drinks as they go.
@@joycehardy9422 thank you did not know I could call to request that
@@firefistluffy4607 just do the math, it may save you money if your spouse pays for each drink. Then you don’t have to purchase anything for yourself.